Headcoverings by Devorah

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Headcovering By Devorah

I bought two knit kippot from Devorah since I can't knit. I have to say they are well made and look nice. Not sure what I am going to do with them but I wanted to see how they looked. Shipping is a little slow but the price of her product is very reasonable.

Posts : 25 Join date : 2011-09-05

you'll have to show pictures.

Posts : 277 Join date : 2011-09-23 Location : Tennessee

I've made myself a selection of beaded yarmulkes. I know there are some people who sell them; does anyone think it would be worth my while to sell some? I already have an Etsy store (I used to sell jewelry).

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Are they the type with just beads? You could always try it out and see if you can sell a couple.

Posts : 277 Join date : 2011-09-23 Location : Tennessee

Yes, they're just beads (similar to these: http://www.akaplan.com/new_tnt/tntjudaica.htm)

Posts : 373 Join date : 2011-09-05 Location : Chicagoland

I like to have a bit more actual cover to my head coverings, although I like wearing hats to shul as well. Here's a women's kippah I crocheted. I made it up as I went along. The Magen David wasn't initially planned, but just kind of happened when I started on the fill-in row above the more open row.
Headcoverings by Devorah Beige_kippah

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

I like coverage too. Mychal, have you made any knit with beads? I think those are pretty too.

Posts : 277 Join date : 2011-09-23 Location : Tennessee

I think that's an awesome kippah, Debbie. I don't crochet, so I can't make those. I can knit, but I don't care much for knitting in the round (I'm still learning to do that after knitting flat for years). And I can knock out a beaded kippah in 2-3 hours; I know I can't knit that fast!

Do Orthodox women wear kippahs, or is that only a Conservative and Reform thing? I know among modern Orthodox women, there's a question of whether to cover the hair or not, but I wasn't sure if a kippah counted as a head covering.

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

No, they cover their hair entirely so a kippah would not work. You are right that some MO women don't cover all their hair but I haven't heard of any of them wearing kippot. It is possible I guess. I personally would prefer a wrap or snood but nobody else wears them in Reform and Conservative shuls around here so neither have I...so far.

Posts : 373 Join date : 2011-09-05 Location : Chicagoland

Married women are traditionally supposed to cover their hair for reasons of "tzniut" (modesty), and therefore it traditionally applies for anytime a woman is out in public, not just in synagogue. Not all Orthodox women cover all of their hair (there are rulings about allowing a hands breadth of hair to show--thus many MO women allow their bangs to show). In some communities, the women will only wear what is essentially a wide headband or small bandana as "cover", so most of their hair may be visible. In some more "right-wing" and haredi communities, the women wear wigs ("sheitel")---and then may put a hat over the wig, especially in shul.

Around the Enlightenment, Jewish married women in some areas in Europe and later in the US began to go around with their hair uncovered. Just several decades ago, married observant women would even attend shul with uncovered hair. As there has been a return to stricter observance in many Modern Orthodox communities in recent times, there has also been an increase in MO women who cover their hair at all times. A number of our MO married women friends do not cover their hair except that they wear a hat in synagogue. I chuckle when I see one of our friends who lives right down the street walking to shul on Shabbat with her hat in her hand until she gets to shul where she will put it on.

Some MO and traditional C women will wear a gathered piece of lace pinned to the backs of their heads in shul: I've heard these called "doily" head coverings (since they look like the doilies put under pots):
http://www.zionjudaica.com/Lace_Hair_Covers-34.asp
This is one style of head covering I've never seen on anyone outside of the synagogue.

Orthodox women also avoid wearing "beged ish" ("men's clothing"---forbidden in the Torah) which is why very observant Jewish women do not wear pants at all. For this reason, many of them would also feel that a regular man's kippah would not be suitable to be worn by a woman even if they don't think that all hair needs to be covered. Hence the reason that even small women's head coverings tend to be lacy so that they are different from men's head coverings.

Rabbinic law requires Jewish men to cover their heads while praying. It has become a custom for Orthodox men to cover their heads at all times especially since observant Jews will have reason to say many blessings throughout the day. But since covering the head all the time is not strictly required, there are some MO men who choose not to wear a kippah at work, particularly if they think it may make other people they deal with uncomfortable. Not wearing a kippah at work was even ruled permissible by the leading halachic authority (and haredi) Rav Moshe Feinstein. Senator Leiberman is a well-known MO Jew who does not wear a kippah at work. The husband of the woman who holds her hat is a doctor and one evening when he dropped by our house right after work to give us some herbs from his garden, I was surprised to see that he wasn't wearing a kippah as usual. Those men would, I'm sure, cover their heads when they eat since that requires important blessings.

So the traditional reasons that Jewish men and (married) women cover their heads are different. These days, many women in the more liberal movements who do not always cover their hair, cover their heads in synagogue or while praying to indicate respect in the same way as men do. This is personally the reason that I choose to cover my head in synagogue and when praying or saying blessings at home.

Posts : 277 Join date : 2011-09-23 Location : Tennessee

Thanks for the education, Debbie! I find things like this fascinating. Technically, in the Reform movement, you're supposed to study the law (and I assume that includes oral as well as written) before deciding on whether to follow it or not (i.e. make an informed decision). It's my impression, though, that few people do that. Like so many other Jewish communities, Reform Jews tend to do what they were raised to do. In fact, I don't think many people outside a yeshiva put any thought into WHY they do something. Which may be why converts so often hear the refrain "I feel like converts know more than me about the religion I was born into;" we HAVE to learn everything.

I've been experimenting with wearing a kippah all the time and only on Fridays (I tend to wear it all day Friday, since I go straight from work to shul). I've been wearing them all this week for the Holy Days. Personally, I find I tend to think about God more, remember to say the Sh'ma, etc. when I wear one versus when I don't. So I think they serve a very useful function in that regard. Or, as one of the characters in my book put it, "I wear one to remind me that God is above me, and even I have someone I must answer to."

Subject: Re: Headcoverings by Devorah Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:13 pm

I have never been a big fan of the female kippah. I don't know why you just don't wear a hat.

With that said, I'm going to enjoy covering for shul (though my community doesn't do it by minhag, I figure I should at least give it some effort) and when traveling to more frum communities.

This is my favorite store for them: http://www.etsy.com/people/shariveitsman?ref=ls_profile

I also like: http://www.etsy.com/people/chrisssmith22?ref=ls_profile

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

I have looked and looked for hats but because I am so small I cannot find one that fits! What I like about my snood is that it's made to fit various size heads and it ties in the back making it a perfect fit. However, it's a bit itchy. I do have a pretty winter hat that I can wear inside and not feel like I need to remove so that does double duty for colder months. I'd like to find another one like it this year.

On the first night of Rosh Hashanah I saw a women wearing something similar to a kippah but yet it was very sparkly and had a bow. It was like a cross between a kippah and a pill box hat. Nothing like what men wear. I LOVED IT! But I don't know her and I didn't get a chance to meet her to ask about it.

A cheap solution is a big piece of jersey knit turned into a wrap. I did that two winters ago but the weight of the "bun" pulling on my neck caused problems. I love wraps but I have chronic pain and the weight of them makes it worse. I keep thinking I'm figure out something in the wrap category.

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

I REALLY need to learn to knit or at least crochet. There are so many cute hats out there.

Subject: Re: Headcoverings by Devorah Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:13 am

Dena, you make me laugh. I am not a small girl, but my head is so I know how you feel!!

Posts : 277 Join date : 2011-09-23 Location : Tennessee

I like wearing hats, but aside from my winter beret, I don't wear them indoors. Now, if I'm wearing one, I will wear it in shul, but not during the day at work. But I will wear a kippah at work all day.

I don't have a wide access to hats, though, because I have a man-size head (my beret is acutally my husband's old military beret). It's really hard for me to find a hat big enough to fit me.

I bought my snoods from one of the medieval merchants we do business with: http://pillagedvillage.com/zen/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=15f2b1fba71d6cc353a86bfc94f0fd7e&keyword=snood

But, I will say this about a snood: they're actually NOT good for long hair. Or, they're not good for my waist-length hair, at any rate. My hair was tangled like nobody's business after wearing one all day.

Posts : 373 Join date : 2011-09-05 Location : Chicagoland

Well, those $3 snoods are certainly inexpensive. But they don't work for Orthodox or more traditional needs because the netting is so open that the hair can still be seen through the holes.

Here are some Orthodox-style snoods:
http://www.modestworld.com/products.asp?cat=42
http://alizasboutique.com/snoods1.html
http://www.tznius.com/cgi-bin/group.pl?id=30

Note that the snoods with "loose crochet" are lined so that the hair cannot be seen directly through the holes.

For long hair, braid your hair before tucking it into a snood.

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Mychal wrote:: But, I will say this about a snood: they're actually NOT good for long hair. Or, they're not good for my waist-length hair, at any rate. My hair was tangled like nobody's business after wearing one all day.

My hair was just about waist level before I cut it again. I may have not noticed the difference because with it's texture and curl it knots like crazy anyway. I'm just used to having a knotted mess. Razz

But like Debbie said, braiding would be a good idea.

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Debbie B. wrote:: Well, those $3 snoods are certainly inexpensive. But they don't work for Orthodox or more traditional needs because the netting is so open that the hair can still be seen through the holes.

No, those wouldn't work. I don't dislike them on other people but I think I would feel like I wearing a hair net. This is the one I have. Is it still sorta see-through but I don't go to an Orthodox shul so it would be just fine. You can't really see my hair but you can tell I have dark hair vs blond hair. Nobody cares but me anyway.

I really love The Style Underground but those are exactly the type of things that make my head, neck and back ache even more. But if you are into scarves and wraps she has some neat ideas and has an etsy page.

Subject: Re: Headcoverings by Devorah Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:54 pm

Oh, that's beautiful. Go lacy hair covering.

Posts : 373 Join date : 2011-09-05 Location : Chicagoland

Dena,

The snood in the photo would be just fine in any of the Modern Orthodox shuls I have attended.

I noticed in another thread that you mention having Fibromyalgia. Have you seen the blog of Aliza Hausman? She is an Orthodox convert who has Fibromyalgia and has found that most head coverings cause her severe pain. Unfortunately, in her community married women are expected to cover their hair and she has been criticized for doing it in ways that others consider "improper".

Posts : 277 Join date : 2011-09-23 Location : Tennessee

If a woman gets divorced, does she uncover her hair to show her eligibility, or does she keep it covered because once you've been married (like virgrinity), there's no going back?

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Debbie B. wrote:: The snood in the photo would be just fine in any of the Modern Orthodox shuls I have attended.

We haven't had any MO shuls here, however there is one starting up now. They are meeting in people's homes for the moment and using the JCC.

Debbie B. wrote:: I noticed in another thread that you mention having Fibromyalgia. Have you seen the blog of Aliza Hausman? She is an Orthodox convert who has Fibromyalgia and has found that most head coverings cause her severe pain. Unfortunately, in her community married women are expected to cover their hair and she has been criticized for doing it in ways that others consider "improper".

Yes! We have commiserated. I follow her on facebook and follow her blog. I imagine many people think it's an excuse or it just sounds too weird but covering your head when you are already in a lot of pain doesseriously make it worse. Especially if there is any weight pulling because it isn't distributed evenly enough.

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Mychal wrote:: If a woman gets divorced, does she uncover her hair to show her eligibility, or does she keep it covered because once you've been married (like virgrinity), there's no going back?

This is from AskMoses. There are other opinions (like those without mystical connotations).

Once married, a woman must keep her hair covered even if she is divorced or widowed.1 Two reasons for this are:

1. Once a woman has defined a certain part of her body as sensual and private, it would be immodest to expose it publicly again.

2. In addition to the often discussed “logical” reasons why a married woman covers her hair, there are also “mystical” reasons given in Kabbalah which explain that there is a certain powerful energy that is exuded by a woman’s hair, and that energy can become destructive it if it is not contained; it therefore must be covered. This energy is activated when a woman consummates marriage, hence it applies to any woman who was married, even if she is now divorced or widowed.

Wearing a wig need not hinder her search for a new partner. Most modern wigs use natural hair and many cannot be easily identified as a wig.

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Apparently Rabbi Feinstein (Orthodox Rabbi and posek) allowed for a women to uncover her hair if it would help her get married but only as certain times, not all day every day.